David Farrier’s investigation into a car park operator takes a darker turn
David Farrier’s documentary *Mister Organ* begins with an investigation into a Ponsonby antiques shop whose car park operator charged drivers up to NZ$760 to release clamped cars. The reporting helped prompt legislation against extreme clamping fees, but Farrier’s inquiry uncovered a more disturbing story about Michael Organ, the man policing the lot.
Farrier found that Organ had previously faced a charge over an alleged yacht theft scheme and falsely claimed to be a prince and a lawyer. Interviews and encounters with people who knew him depict a pattern of alleged deception and harassment; after Organ said he had obtained a key to Farrier’s home, the journalist eventually left New Zealand to protect himself. The documentary is available to stream on Hoopla, Kanopy and YouTube.
- A parking clamp investigation led Farrier to Michael Organ.
- Organ’s behaviour turned the documentary into a tense personal account.
- Farrier says he left New Zealand to protect himself.
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David Farrier is a New Zealand journalist and documentary maker. His film Mister Organ starts at an antiques shop in Ponsonby, Auckland, where a private operator ran the car park and clamped vehicles when drivers breached its rules. Some drivers were charged hundreds of New Zealand dollars to get their cars released.
The film follows Farrier’s efforts to learn more about Michael Organ, the man who ran the car park. It includes accounts from people who knew Organ and examines claims about his past conduct; these are allegations and accounts presented in the documentary, rather than findings that every claim was proved in court.
The story matters both for the debate over how much private operators can charge to release clamped cars and for the risks journalists can face when investigating people who may respond with intimidation.
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Originally published by The Verge as “Mister Organ is one of the most unsettling documentaries I’ve ever seen”.